1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for enclosing appliances. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to enclosures which enclose some or all of the operational components of the appliances when not in use while maintaining the functionality of the appliances.
2. Description of the Related Art
An appliance, e.g., a stove, refrigerator, or microwave oven, is often situated in full view in a kitchen or other room. As a result, the appliance may take away the ambience associated with a classical design due to the modern look of typical appliances. Kitchen designers, therefore, try to disguise dishwashers and refrigerators with wood panels, but dishwasher control panels, cooktops, ovens, microwave ovens and various refrigerator parts and multitudes of small appliances still compromise the intended look. Additionally, in small living spaces such as one bedroom apartments or studio apartments, it may be desirable to have the kitchen area blend into the remaining living space.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,015,295 to Steingruber discloses an electric stove designed to be mounted upon the sliding drawer of a table or cabinet. The stove is lifted from the drawer and set upon a table top or the like in order to be used. U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,873 to Lang discloses an electrical wall panel cooking unit that is maintained within a wall when not in use. One drawback of such previous devices is that there are no mechanisms for preventing the stove or cooking unit from being stored or recessed within the wall when the stove or cooking unit is operational or has not cooled sufficiently.
Therefore, a need exists to develop aesthetically pleasing enclosures for appliances that accommodate the functional considerations necessary to prepare food, without disturbing the appearance of a classical furniture design. It is an object of the present disclosure to enclose an appliance within an enclosure such that most, if not all control panels, cook tops, handles and other parts are hidden from view.
Further, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an enclosure for an appliance while maintaining the functionality of the appliance and adhering to applicable safety considerations. Such safety considerations include providing a door locking mechanism to prevent the appliance from being completely enclosed when it is operational, or while it is cooling, if cooling is critical to the appliance's integrity.
These and other objects of the present disclosure will become more apparent with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with FIGS. 1A-5C.